ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AMAZON TURTLE Podocnemis expansa (TESTUDINATA: PELOMEDUSIDAE) DURING SPAWNING ON THE CRIXÁS-AÇÚ RIVER IN GOIÁS, BRAZIL

Abstract

We present an important event not yet reported of accidental death by burying Podocnemis expansa by grounding caused by other breending females. This event possibly occurred during the previous night, during the spawning peak activity on this beach with approximately 1,500 spawns, many of them overlapping. Any predatory event was not considered, as the turtles were intact, unmarked and buried, which is unusual. In general, they choose higher places on the beaches, increasing the chances of survival of the young due to the seasonality (high and low flows) of the rivers, with the nesting on the Crixás-Açu River during the dry season. However, this is the first report of accidental death of turtles by other changes during the reproductive period and can help to better understand the processes behind the competition for nests on spawning beaches.